1. A Commitment to People The Land Grant University Mission in the United States

2. The Land Grant University system is the result of a set of laws passed by Congress in 1862, 1887, 1890, 1914, and 1994.

3. Origin of the Land Grant System The Morrill Act of 1862 authorized a public university in every state and territory of the United States. Instead of money, the federal government gave land to each state to support the program.

4. The Land Grant Mission Morrill Act (1862): “…teach …agriculture and the mechanical arts … to promote liberal and practical education of (ordinary people)….”

5. The Hatch Act (1887) provided for the establishment of farms at Land Grant universities where professors conduct research on agricultural problems faced by rural citizens.

6. Expanding the Land Grant Act A second Morrill Act (1890) created Land Grant universities in southern states to serve freed slaves and their descendants. In 1994, Congress created Tribal Colleges to educate Native Americans.

7. The Smith Lever Act (1914) established a Cooperative Extension Service affiliated with each Land Grant university. Federal, state, and county governments work together to provide public education services.

8. The county Extension office is a branch office of the Land Grant university in each state. Extension educators in each county are university staff or faculty and report to the main campus of the Land Grant university.

9. The mission of the Extension Service is to provide citizens access to research-based education and learning opportunities that are relevant to important community issues and which will contribute to the quality of life for all citizens. Cooperative Extension Mission

10. University Commitment to Development The Land Grant universities work closely with the regulatory and economic promotion arms of our state governments through both research and educational programs.

11. Extension Impacts Citizens’ Lives Economic Development Community Development Family and Youth Programs Agriculture & Natural Resource Management Environmental Concerns Food Safety/Health/Nutrition Animal Health International Trade

12. The Land Grant educational system = Research + Teaching + Extension Research spans everything from the most fundamental areas of inquiry to applied problem solving efforts. Extension and teaching deliver the results of research to university students and to citizens across our states.

13. Trends in the Land Grant System 1914 30% of US workers engaged in agriculture Federal partner provided 50% of resources Focus: production agriculture Individual visits by Extension Educators Today Less than 1% of US workers engaged in production agriculture Federal partner provides 25% of resources Focus: economic, community, & quality of life issues Distance learning technologies & fee-for-service programs

14. Changing Focus Issues related to production agriculture and rural life will continue to be major consumers of knowledge. The challenges facing US society are increasingly complex. (Examples: environmental issues, economic policy concerns, food safety, family life quality, and serving new immigrant populations) These new challenges require interdisciplinary teams for their solution.

15. Land Grant System Funding Trends Example from Purdue University: 2003-04 School of Agriculture budget: $131,123,013 ~25% comes from state general funds. [General funds come from two sources: (1) state appropriations (public funds that come from tax revenues) and (2) student tuition and fees.] ~75% comes from federal and state government grants, private sector contracts, and gifts.

16. Summary The Land Grant University system: Is a unique, integrated teaching, research, and extension system. Relies on funding from federal, state, and local government and, increasingly, from the private sector. Has been, and continues to be, the engine for economic development in the United States.